Strategic Catchment Assessment in uMhlathuze municipality, South Africa Author: Roel Slootweg (
[email protected]) Short title: Strategic Catchment Assessment in uMhlathuze municipality, South Africa Key Message: By focusing on ecosystem services that the environment provides for free to the municipality of uMhlathuze, local planners can realize that environmental services have an economic value, and are then in a better position to influence sustainable development. Suggested citation: TEEBcase by Roel Slootweg (2010) mainly based on Van der Wateren, T., Diederichs, N., Mander, M., Markewicz, T. and O’Connor, T. (2004) available at: TEEBweb.org. Reviewer: Myles Mander, Guy Preston What was the problem? The towns of Richards Bay and Empangeni are situated approximately 200 km north of Durban, Kwazulu-Natal, overlooking the Mhlathuze Estuary. Richards Bay is the closest port to Johannesburg, South Africa’s economic center. In 2002, Richards Bay and Empangeni as well as the surrounding rural and tribal areas merged to form the City of uMhlathuze, with 300 000 inhabitants, covering 796 km². Unemployment is high (41%). However, economic activity in tribal areas such as production for own use, arts and crafts and informal sales are generally disregarded (uMhlathuze Municipality, 2004). The tribal population creates their own informal employment, thus highlighting the importance of an environment providing free ecosystem services to sustain their livelihoods. With the natural environment already 75% transformed, it is evident that conflict between the environment and development will continue to grow in uMhlathuze, unless proper planning takes place. The classic “development” versus “conservation” situation exists, with the local municipality mostly in favour of development as a result of the poor social-economic climate that exists in Kwazulu-Natal.